Daughter of Darkness
by TempestXtreme
Summary: An original Slayers story starting 200 years before the events of Slayers. It's about Zillas, half-human daughter of Xellos, and her travels throughout the world! R&R plz!
1. The Beginning

Daughter of Darkness – the story of Zillas Metallium By TempestXtreme 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Slayers characters. I only own my own original characters and the town of Ralir. 

Chapter One – The beginning The small town of Ralir, two-hundred years before the events of Slayers… 

The rain pelted down on the tiles of the small house in the relatively unknown town of Ralir. Xellos Metallium, General-Priest of Zelas Metallium, finished getting dressed and glanced down at the women he had just slept with. It wasn't as though he cared about her – she just happened to want to sleep with Xellos, and he had readily agreed. Mazoku like him didn't need physical pleasure, but being in human form caused him to experience…impulses. 

Sex was one of them. 

"Goodbye, Riana," he said, grinning that annoyingly sweet grin that women seemed to love. "It was…fun."

He vanished from sight. 

Two weeks later, Riana found that she was pregnant, but she could not know that her child would not be quite human.

*-*-*-*

Nine months later, Riana gave birth to a daughter. She was a beautiful child – she had the fair skin of her mother as well as her beautiful, almost elfish face. 

Her eyes, however, were what attracted the most attention. They were amethyst and elliptical – the eyes of a Mazoku. The village Elder was alarmed when he learned that Riana had slept with a man nine months ago, and determined that he had to be a Mazoku in human form. 

Riana was horrified, but argued that, if this child were raised in a loving environment, then she would – hopefully – not become a monster. The child was, after all, half human…

The Elder agreed, albeit reluctantly, and the child was named Zillas…

*-*-*-*

Five years later… 

Zillas ran inside, her purple hair flying wildly behind her as she ran up to her mother, holding a small beetle in her hands. 

"Look mama!" she said, holding the brightly coloured insect up for Riana to see. "Isn't it pretty?"

Riana bent down and smiled at her daughter. "Yes, Zillas," she said. "It is pretty, but we have to leave it outside in the bushes…"

Zillas paused. "Why, mama?" she asked. "Can't I keep it in my room?"

Riana paused before answering. "No," she said, her tone gentle. "It will die if you keep it inside. It needs the bushes and the soil of the outside to survive."

Zillas thought for a moment, then shrugged. "OK," she said, walking to the door and putting the beetle on the ground. She looked at it for a long moment, then raised a hand, and released a small blast of energy that flash-fried the insect. 

She went inside for supper.

*-*-*-*

Zillas' first day of school was, as far as she was concerned, akin to Hell. None of the other children liked her! They called her nasty names and shunned her, as if she were a monster or something. Even the teachers seemed to hate her – they completely ignored her in class, acting as if she didn't exist. No, that was not totally true – they did know that she existed, but only to yell at her when she had done nothing wrong. 

In short, Zillas was a tad pissed off when she got home. That much was obvious because, despite her age, she managed to slam her bedroom door hard enough to cause her windowpanes to crack and fall out. 

Riana went to her daughter's bedroom and opened the door quietly, looking inside to see that her daughter was staring into the sky, her face red from crying. She turned to face her mother, her dark amethyst eyes seeming to pierce her mother's heart, her soul. That gaze was so intense that Riana was transfixed, unable to move.

"They hate me," she said, breaking the spell when she looked outside again. "Everybody in this town…hates me."

It was a statement, completely devoid of emotion, as if she was a soulless golem, or a skeleton brought back by a sorcerer. 

"The other kids, even the teachers, hate me," she continued. "Why, mama? Why?"

Riana stepped into the room with a heavy sigh. She was torn – should she tell her daughter the truth about who, and what, she was, or should she lie to her only child? Half-Mazoku or not, Zillas was still her daughter, her only child – born of a Mazoku and a Human, a halfling, most likely destined to be exterminated by a Priest of Ciephied. 

"Mama?" Zillas' voice brought Riana out of her thoughts, and she realized that she had started to cry.

"Yes, Zillas?" she asked, quickly wiping the tears away with the back of her hands. 

"Why are you sad?" Zillas asked, now kneeling on her bed and looking at her mother with concern in her Mazoku eyes. 

Riana shook her head. "Never mind, Zillas," she said. "Come, supper is almost ready."

Zillas didn't move. "I'm not hungry," she said.

Riana nodded and left, closing the door behind her. 

Zillas sighed and returned to the window, staring aimlessly into the night sky, watching the stars shine brightly as the moon smiled down at her.

Author's notes: ^_^ You like? 


	2. Meeting with the Elder

Chapter Two – Meeting with the Elder 

Zillas was uncomfortable in the clothing she was wearing: a nice, plain blue skirt and matching blouse with white sandals. Her hair had been trimmed, so that she would look all neat and tidy. She hated this, hated it more than the kids at school.

Zillas, now aged nine, was going to see the Elder for the first time. Her mother hadn't said why she was seeing the Elder; only that she must look 'nice'.

"I hate this skirt," Zillas grumbled, standing in front of the Elder's house, the summer sun beating down on her back relentlessly. "Give me some pants and a shirt any day."

The door opened, and a teenager – Zillas had no idea who he was and quite frankly she couldn't have cared less even if he introduced himself (which he didn't). He smiled at her with the fakest smile Zillas had ever seen (she could sense his feelings quite easily: he was rather loathe to have Zillas, the town Freak, visiting his Master). 

_I'm not too fond of you either, buddy,_ Zillas thought, walking past him quickly without looking at him at all. She followed him silently and walked past him again when he motioned for her to step into what was obviously the Elder's meeting room. She stepped into the room…

…And immediately felt uncomfortable. There were pictures of Ciephied, the dragon god, all over the walls, as well as a statue right behind the Elder, who sat in a lotus-style position on a red cushion right in front of the statue. He smiled at Zillas – the first real smile that she had seen in a while – and beckoned for her to sit down. She did so, but they sat there in complete silence for a few moments, uncertain of what to say to each other, especially in the room that they were in.

Zillas felt beads of cold sweat begin to form on her brow, and she knew that the Elder could see her discomfort, even if he pretended not to notice.

_What is with this room?_ she thought._ W-why am I so nervous here? They're only statues and pictures! _

"Hello, child," the Elder said, looking hard at Zillas. "I have heard many things about you."

Zillas looked at him, convinced that her nervousness must have been showing in her eyes. Then she saw that they weren't alone – or rather she felt it. A presence, hidden from the Elder, but not from Zillas, made itself known to the girl, and her gaze hardened, her voice became firm and somewhat frightening.

"Why did you bring me to this shrine, old man?" she asked, staring into his eyes. 

Silence. "Well?" she asked, her intense gaze never wavering. The Elder let out deep breath and managed to meet her gaze.

"I wished to know how you are doing, that is all," he stated. "I have heard that you haven't any friends. Is that true?"

The presence vanished then, and with it, Zillas' boldness. She suddenly felt alone and very small. 

"Y-yes," she replied meekly. "None of the other kids like me…"

The Elder's expression softened. "I'm sorry to hear that, Zillas," he said. 

_Suuuuuuuuuure you are,_ she thought, irritated. "Don't be," she snapped at him. "I'm not."

She stood up and walked out, shoving the teen out of the way as she left. 

The Elder sighed – she was strong willed, but she hadn't yet become aware of her darker side, at least, that's what he wanted to believe…

"Oh, Ciephied," he prayed, turning to the statue. "What am I going to do if she turns into a monster?"

Of course, the statue remained silent. It was, after all, made of stone and wasn't able to answer him. 

But the Elder somehow had the feeling that Zillas, despite being half-Mazoku, would turn out to be a good-hearted person some day…

**Author's notes: Short, sweet and hopefully interesting. What did you think?**


	3. Bandits Attack! Zillas' Dark Fireball!

**Chapter Three – Bandits attack! Zillas' Dark Fireball!                       **

It happened a few hours after Zillas' visit to the elder. It was getting dark and Zillas had just finished bathing and was getting ready for dinner when it happened – bandits attacked their town. Armed with swords, axes, knives, and crossbows, nobody in the town could stand up to them. Zillas didn't particularly care…until they attacked and tried to rape her mother. 

Zillas snapped. 

"LEAVE HER ALONE!!" she screamed, raising her palms, a spell playing through her mind unbidden. "Dark Fireball!"

It appeared to be a regular Fireball spell at first – the orange-red orb of flame appeared in between her open palms, but then it became streaked with black, corrupting the Shamanistic spell and changing into a black magick spell. Zillas threw the dark spell at the gang, who managed to look up, turn, and run before the spell slammed into them, the black-orange explosion arching into the air, scorching the ground, turning sand to glass in seconds. 

When the smoke cleared, all that was left of the bandits were charred, blackened bones lying on a large patch of scorched glass. Zillas, completely ignoring the stares from the onlookers, ran to her mother and knelt down next to her. 

"Mama?" she asked. "Are you OK?"

Riana looked from the dead bandits to her daughter, and nodded. "I'm fine, Zillas," she said. "Thank you."

*-*-*-*-*

A town council was held later that night, to discuss what had happened earlier. True, Zillas had saved the town, but she had used what was obviously a black magick spell to do that. She was young, but oddly powerful, and if she could summon a spell like the one she had used that evening against the bandits without even thinking twice, what was stopping her from destroying their town? Riana argued that, despite the Mazoku in her, Zillas' human side was her dominant side, and that she wouldn't destroy the town. Why would she, when it was her home? 

"Then again," Riana pointed out, "you all make my daughter's life a living hell! Your own children refuse to go anywhere near her, and you-" she twisted and glared at the teacher "-YOU act as if it's HER fault if anything goes wrong in class! Even if you SAW that another child was responsible!"

There was a heavy, heavy silence, and then the Elder spoke up, obviously angry. 

"I knew NOTHING of this!" he said. "Where is my Aide? Gerard? Where are you?"

The teen that let Zillas in to see his master came into the room and bowed. "Yes, Elder?" he asked.

"Why did you not tell me that Zillas was unhappy?!" he demanded.

"I didn't think it was necessary–" he began, but a sharp gesture from the Elder cut him off.

"I wouldn't care if she was a shard of the demon king, she is still a child! She deserves to be treated with respect!" he said, standing up. "She is part Mazoku, that is true, but, as her mother has pointed out, her HUMAN side is the dominant side! She hates to see any living creature hurt, despite the way everybody treats her!"

Gerard bowed so as to hide the anger that was showing in his eyes and on his face. "Yes, Elder," he said, and silently left. 

The Elder sat down again. "You may all leave."

It wasn't a request; it was an order, and nobody in that room wanted to disobey the Elder at that moment. 

They all left; unaware of the presence that only Zillas would have sensed had she been in the room instead of asleep at home. 

From the astral plain, two black eyes watched the show with interest. So, Zillas was part Mazoku? Interesting… Who was the father? He had to be strong, for Zillas to be able to call on her powers at such a young age. 

Chuckling to herself, Moralia left that particular area of the astral plain. 

*-*-*-*

Riana was troubled. Zillas was getting stronger every day, the Mazoku part of her was feeding her strength, and she was writing down magicks that only somebody in the Wizard's Guild could possibly teach her. 

Somebody, or something, was teaching the girl magicks somehow. Riana didn't really mind – if Zillas became a famous sorceress, so what? 

Then again…power has the tendency to corrupt people, like that evening, when Zillas corrupted that Fireball spell…

Upstairs, Zillas woke up, not really needing as much sleep as the other children did. 

_You want to learn new spells?_ a voice inside of her head said. _I have a really neat one. Check under your bed. _

Curious, Zillas knelt down and checked under the bed, pulling out the Demon Blood Talismans that were stored there. 

"Oh, pretty!" she said, holding them up. "What are they?"

_They're called Demon Blood Talismans. Put them on and I'll teach you the spell that activates them. _

Zillas did as she was instructed and put the talismans on. They felt…right somehow. "What's the spell that activates them?" she asked the voice in her mind. She grinned when a scroll just appeared in front of her, the words to the Boost spell on it, as well as another spell – the Flare Arrow spell. She picked the scroll up and read the incantations and followed the instructions as to how to activate the talismans. 

She assumed the position so that her body resembled a cross, and began to whisper…

_"Lord of Darkness of the Four Worlds! I call upon you! Grant me all the power you possess!" _

The talismans began to glow, and she began to recite the incantation for the Flare Arrow. 

_"Source off all power… Wind which blows to the East! Flambeau Arrow!" _

**_BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!_**

_Um, you got the incantation wrong…_  the voice in her head quipped. _It's 'Flare Arrow', not 'Flambeau Arrow'… _

Zillas, however, was too busy admiring her new sunroof the spell created to be listening, though…

 "Mama's not gonna be happy," she said, a sweat drop forming on her brow. 

Author's notes: Thanks to everybody that reviewed! I'm really enjoying this! ^_^ 


	4. Four years later, the Mazoku visitor

Chapter Four – Four years later, the Mazoku Visitor… 

Zillas – now thirteen – was getting slightly…bored just staying in Ralir all the time. The voice in her head had stopped talking a year ago, having taught her all it knew about magicks (which wasn't much, to be honest – it had only taught her Boost, Flare Arrow and the Fireball – that last spell blew up in her face more than once!), and she had the urge to travel and learn more magicks and to see the world.

The only problem with that was the fact that she was so young, and her mother was hesitant to let her leave. 

"But Mama!" Zillas said. "I'll be able to learn sooooooooooooo much more if I travel! This small, unknown town has nothing more it can teach me!"

Riana sighed and folded her arms over her chest. She was getting old before her time, and Zillas' whining wasn't helping any.

"Zillas," she said. "It's a dangerous world out there! Only experienced travellers can–"

Somebody knocked on the front door, cutting Riana off. Sighing, she went to answer it.

"Yes?" she asked, staring at the strange man. He was in his early twenties, with long black-brown hair with dark grey eyes wearing a black sleeveless vest, black cotton pants, heavy-looking boots and elbow-length fingerless black gloves. He had a sheathed sword at his side – his eyes, however, were elliptical.

Riana froze – she knew that this Mazoku-in-human-form had come for Zillas. His gaze was so intense that Riana couldn't tear her eyes away from him. His voice, when he spoke, was cool and even – even seductive. 

"Are you the mother of Zillas?" he asked coolly. Riana nodded. 

"Please, come in," she said, opening the door and stepping to the side and letting him in. 

Zillas looked at him, but she wasn't scared like her mother was. She was comforted – she knew that he would be her friend. The Mazoku calmly entered the house and sat down on one of the chairs, smiling at Riana and Zillas.

"You know why I am here," he said, his gaze never wavering, not even for a moment. "If you allow your daughter to come with me willingly, you will be spared a lot of trouble."

Zillas stood to the side, watching silently. She knew that she was supposed to go with this man, even if it meant sacrificing her mother. Riana, too, saw this, and sighed.

"All right," she said, nodding her head. "But, will she be all right? Will you take care of her?"

The Mazoku nodded. "My Master has ordered that I take care of her and teach her magicks," he said. "She will fine with my Master and myself."

Riana nodded and spoke to Zillas without looking at her. "Zillas go upstairs and get what you need."

"Wait!" the Mazoku said, standing up. "Get only the scrolls and the talismans, nothing else. I will provide you with what you need to survive."

Zillas froze. How did this man know about the scrolls and the talismans? Nobody, not even her own mother, knew about those! She didn't say anything, though; she just went upstairs to retrieve the scrolls and talismans. 

The Mazoku continued to hold Riana in his unsettling gaze. "You haven't told her." 

It was not a question – it was a statement.

"No," Riana said. "What am I supposed to say to her? That her father is a Mazoku, and that she might turn into a heartless killer bent on destroying this world?"

"Maybe," the Mazoku shrugged. "It is out of your hands now. I will teach her to survive, you have my word on that."

"Thank you," Riana said softly, although she knew that she would most likely never see her daughter again. "What will you tell her about her…other half?"

"The truth, when it comes down to that," the Mazoku said, putting his hands together and sat casually, resting his elbows on his knees. "I am just curious, do you know exactly who her father is?"

Riana shook her head. "No."

The Mazoku smiled slightly. "He is Xellos Metallium, General-Priest to the Greater Beastmaster Zelas Metallium. He is the most powerful Mazoku under the Five Dark Lords. Your daughter will be powerful when she grows up."

Riana remained silent, ignoring the cramp that was coming to her legs from standing for so long in one place, and looked at the Mazoku intently. "Who are you?" she asked.

He smiled. "Me?" he asked. "I am the one who will teach Zillas how to control her powers. You see; my Master, Chaos-Dragon Gaav, is also half-human, half-Mazoku. He needs a good soldier, and Zillas has the potential to out-power her father if she dedicates herself to studying and creating spells."

Riana hesitated. "What will become of her?" she asked. "If your Master isn't satisfied?"

"She will die." The Mazoku stood up. "Now I suggest you stop asking questions, human. My Master wants your daughter in his ranks, and you are powerless to do anything about it."

Riana swallowed and looked away. "All right," she said.

Zillas came downstairs, wearing her Demon Blood Talismans and carrying her scrolls in a bag at her side. The Mazoku looked at her and was surprised at how much she resembled her father.

_A pity that she might end up killing him, _he thought. "Come, Zillas, kiss your mother goodbye. We must start our journey."

Zillas went over to her mother and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Bye, Mama!" she said, smiling. "I'm gonna learn all about the world!"

Thus, she left, not knowing that she would never see her mother again. 

**Author's Notes: Having fun yet? Comments, please!!**


	5. The start of a Journey! Zillas' Teacher!

**Chapter Five – The start of a Journey! Zillas' Teacher!**

The first week of the journey was uneventful. They travelled along the part of the road where the vegetation was sparse, so there was little chance of being ambushed by bandits.

Zillas discovered that she liked the outside world, and travelling, and she found that the name of her new friend was Gorian, the Travelling Teacher, and that he was going to teach her all about the world as they travelled through it, as well as teach her magicks that would help her survive. 

He did not, however, tell her about his Master, the Chaos-Dragon Gaav, and the fact that he had been watching her over the past few years. Nor did he tell her that she would either serve him, or die. She would find out soon, though, when they reached the Desert of Death and she met him – Chaos-Dragon Gaav. 

For the moment, however, Gorian was given the task of looking after the thirteen-year-old girl and teaching her some black magicks. 

*-*-*-*-*

Zillas sat in the light of the fire on the first day of the second week of her journey with Gorian. He had told her to stay close to the fire while he went out and hunted for their supper. 

The flames reflected dully against her plain brown tunic and pants. She had discarded her sandals for the night and was warming her feet by the fire. Her talismans shone a dull red in the firelight, but she took no notice.

She was thinking about her mother. What was she doing now, at that very moment? Did she miss her daughter? Zillas missed her mother – missed her laugh, her smile, her voice. She missed the comforting feeling of being hugged, the comforting thought that, no matter what Zillas was, her mother would always love her. 

Zillas let out a deep breathe and looked up at the sky. It was a clear night, as it had been for the past several nights, and she could see the stars and the moon shining down at her. She used to feel that the moon and the stars were her only friends, that they were the only ones that smiled a real, genuine smile at her (besides her mother, of course). 

But not anymore – now she had Gorian, her new friend, and teacher. He smiled at her genuinely, a friendly, loving smile. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound so small, so minute, that no normal human could hear it. Then again, Zillas was no normal human…

She turned cautiously. "Gorian?" she asked, her hands cupped as she called on the magick she knew was everywhere around her. 

It wasn't Gorian – it was a massive wolf with glowing red eyes. Its teeth were bared in a vicious snarl. 

Zillas panicked and threw the spell. The fireball struck the wolf head on, enveloping it in an explosion that sent Zillas flying over the fire to land on her back. 

The wolf, completely unaffected by Zillas' fireball, leapt over the fire and landed heavily on Zillas, who tried to fend off the deadly teeth and claws with little success. 

So suddenly wished that she were away from this wolf, anywhere but under it. 

The air seemed to shift around her, and suddenly Zillas found that she was five feet away from the wolf. It twisted around, its nostrils flaring as it detected her scent. It growled once, and vanished into the night. Zillas just stood there, confused. How had she ended up away from the wolf? She glanced at her hands and arms, which had bore the brunt of the attack, and gasped.

The wounds were healing, fast. Soon there weren't even any scars to mark where she had been hurt. 

"H-how…?" she said, frightened. "What am I?!"

"You are part Mazoku, Zillas Metallium."

Gorian seemed to fade into sight, the seemed to heat up for a few seconds, and then Gorian appeared. He was a blur for a few moments, and then he stood in front of her, his dark grey eyes looking down at her, his lips curled into a smile. She staggered backwards.

"Why did you call me–" she began, but cut her off with a laugh.

"You have no idea who and what you are, young one," he said, still smiling. "Tell me, do you know what a 'Mazoku' is?"

Zillas nodded. "A monster," she said. "They feed off of fear and–"

She stalled. "You mean I'm…?"

He nodded. "You are the daughter of Xellos Metallium, the single most powerful Mazoku under the five Dark Lords. He is also, unfortunately, my Master's enemy."

Zillas suddenly understood. "You want me to serve your master and, perhaps, defeat Xellos."

Gorian nodded. "You catch on quickly," he said. 

Zillas nodded. "Teach me," she said, "so that I may serve our master."

Gorian nodded. "We will start in the morning," he said. "I know that you, being part human, do require sleep. I don't."

Zillas nodded and lay down next to the fire and was asleep in moments.

Gorian spent the rest of the night watching her in case anymore of Zelas' demon wolves showed up…

**Author's notes: The truth about Zillas' heritage is revealed! Will she remain loyal to Gaav? Only time will tell… **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six – Attack of the demon wolves! Gorian's Darkness Flare!**

Later that week, at night around a campfire… 

 By the end of that week, Zillas had mastered the Freeze Bleed and the Freeze Arrow. Not only that, but she was working on an…interesting spell. 

A spell of Happiness – meant to disable the more powerful Mazoku in combat by flooding them with positive emotions. 

Gorian cringed when she explained it to him. 

"You, my dear, are as sadistic as your father!" he said.

She grinned. "Who do you think I want to cast this spell on first?" she asked.

Gorian stared at her, then smiled. "I can see that Gaav will like you," he said. "I know I do."

Zillas paused and looked up from the scroll that she was writing the spell down on. "Do you mean that?" she asked, her eyes lighting up with joy.

"Of course!" Gorian said. "Why wouldn't I?"

Zillas looked away. "Because I'm a half breed," she said. "You're a pure-blooded Mazoku, and I'm…tainted."

Gorian grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "I used to be human," he said. "There is nothing wrong with having human blood in you, understand? I know some humans that are powerful enough to control Mazoku – I respect them, even if I am a Mazoku now, I will always have respect for the humans. You should too."

Zillas nodded. "All right," she said, "I'll remember that."

Gorian smiled. "Now get some sleep," he said, "we need to travel the rest of the way to Swank tomorrow, and it's already late."

Zillas nodded and lay down next to the fire and fell asleep, knowing that Gorian would watch over her while she slept.

*-*-*-*-*-*

Gorian woke her up six hours later, and Zillas noted that it the sky was turning that dark purple that it turned when it was the early hours before dawn. 

_So he let me sleep all night,_ she thought. _I wonder why?_

She got up and dusted off her clothes before collecting her things and making sure that the fire was well and truly dead. She stood up and turned to face Gorian, who was glancing around as if he expected bandits to appear out of nowhere.

He was half-right – although it was not bandits that appeared it was Mazoku. They were wolves in form, but their eyes shone a bright red. One of them, a wolf larger and obviously the leader of the pack, stepped forward and transformed into a tall, redheaded woman with brownish-green eyes wearing clothing similar to Gorian's, except that hers were a dark brown. She carried twin daggers in her belt and was deceptively beautiful. She looked at Gorian and spoke slowly, as if were unintelligent. 

"We want the girl," she said. "Surrender her and you'll be spared."

Gorian drew his sword, and Zillas saw for the first time that the blade was pitch black, yet it was strangely beautiful to look at.

"You'll never take her to your Mistress," he said. "You'll have to kill me if you want Greater Beastmaster Zelas to have another servant."

She smirked, an evil, frightening smirk. "Then you die."

She leapt at him barehanded and attempted to crush his throat with her fists. He sidestepped and brought his knee up just as she flew by, connecting with her gut. The force of the blow quite literally sent her flying head-over-heels, but she shot back up and turned to him, a blast of dark energy leaving her hands. 

Mazoku power; Gorian had told Zillas about that a few days ago. Depending on the strength of the Mazoku, his or her power could easily melt flesh off of bone in seconds, or merely stun the target long enough for the attacker to finish them off. 

Gorian simply held the blade up, absorbing the blast easily. At his attacker's shocked expression, he smirked.

"I enchanted this blade so that it would absorb Mazoku power," he said, still smirking. "It works well, don't you think?"

With that, he leapt at her, his dark blade slicing cleanly through her body. The dark substance that was her blood dripped thickly from her exposed ribs, and with one final look of hatred, she faded from existence forever. 

That was when the other wolves attacked, surrounding him so that he couldn't escape. Zillas almost panicked, but then she saw the look in his eyes, as if he were hiding something…

Then he drove the blade of his sword into the ground and vanished from sight, only to reappear in front of Zillas, hands raised. 

"You, who follows after the light, who blankets our rest! Darkness, I summon thee to mine hands! Bestow upon me the means to destroy those who oppose me!" 

The darkness itself seemed to form a sphere in Gorian's hands, standing out against the failing night with startling clarity. He shot a smug glance at the wolves that were, by now, charging them and finished the spell.

"DARKNESS FLARE!" 

The darkness solidified, and flew from his hands and enveloped the wolves, covering them completely before pulsating once and vanishing, destroying the wolves completely. Gorian turned to Zillas.

"That," he said when he saw her questioning look, "was my Darkness Flare. Cool, huh?"

"Very!" Zillas replied. "Um, can we go now?"

Gorian laughed and nodded before walking off. 

**Author's notes: Enjoying it so far? I know that I'm enjoying writing it! Hehehe… **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven – Swank, at long last!**

They reached Swank by noon, and like a certain yet-to-exist sorceress (and on Zillas' insistence), headed for the local tavern. Unlike said sorceress, however, they merely ordered a single portion of roast lamb and two glasses of water (Gorian, being a Mazoku, didn't need to eat even in human form, but Zillas was half-human, so…).

After eating her absolute favourite meat – Zillas claimed that she would go completely insane if Sheep went extinct and there was no more roast lamb – they booked a room at the inn and went exploring. As they passed the clothing store, Gorian took on long, hard look at Zillas and remarked: 

"You need new clothes."

She glanced at him. "If you get me anything skimpy, I'll sing 'You are my sunshine'. Loudly. And off key."

He flinched. "I won't," he said. "'Sides, you're kinda tall for your age. How tall are you?"

"Last time I measured…about 4'11," Zillas said, shrugging. "Oh, I like those!"

She pointed to the black long-sleeved top, matching pants, knee-high boots, and elbow-length gloves. "They look like they would fit, too!" she grinned.

He looked at the outfit and nodded. "Then that's what you're getting," he said, walking into the store with a large bag of coins in his hands. Zillas eagerly followed him in, and came back out a few minutes later dressed in her new outfit. She turned to Gorian and grinned.

"How do I look?" she asked, turning around in a complete circle.

She missed his look of silent awe; she didn't know that he thought that she looked beautiful – very beautiful.

He shook his head. _She's only thirteen,_ he thought. _I'm…what, four hundred? Even by Mazoku terms she's way too young for me! _

"Um, you look nice," he said, smiling at her. _She looks great in black…_

He paid for the clothing and showed her around Swank. Which, much her disappointment, had no library to speak of. Gorian said that the next town did, though. 

Unfortunately the next town was a week's travel to the north. 

Then Zillas brought up an interesting fact – Mazoku could teleport. 

"But, you're too young for such a long range teleport," he argued. 

"So?" she snapped. "This town is…boring!"

He sighed. "You're right," he said. "We could always find some fun in the next town… All right, we'll teleport. But don't say that I didn't warn you!"

He explained to her how to Teleport naturally, and she grinned as she followed his instructions. She felt herself being moved for a few seconds…

…and collapsed from the strain when they reached the town moments later. 

Gorian sighed and shook his head – he HAD tried to warn her… Fortunately, he knew somebody in this town that would let Zillas rest. He picked the girl up and carried her to his friend, Silvira's, house.

**Author's notes: ^_^_^ I really am enjoying this, you know. Comments? **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight – Silvira…and Zillas' dark side? Shown at last?**

The light hurt her eyes, it felt as if she had been in total darkness forever, but Zillas came out of the depths of unconsciousness and sat up and looked around her. She was lying on a bed in a sparse bedroom – the only other items in the room were a small, spherical rug and a makeup table complete with vanity tools. 

Zillas jumped out of bed and found her boots on the ground, neatly put up against the foot of the bed. She put them on and found her gloves on the makeup table; she put them on as well and went downstairs. She stopped when she heard not one, but two, voices – one male and one female. She recognised the male voice as Gorian's, but she didn't recognise the female voice.

She crept down the stairs and saw Gorian sitting with a woman. This woman had long auburn hair and dark blue eyes. She was wearing black robes, black boots, and gloves. She noticed Zillas and smiled.

"You're awake," she said. "Hi, my name is Silvira. Gorian brought you here because you wore yourself out by teleporting too far for your age."

Zillas stood there dumbly. "Um, hi," she said. "How long was I out for?"

"A day," Gorian said, looking at Zillas and smiling. "You really shouldn't have tried to teleport so far so soon."

Zillas glared at him, and then looked at Silvira, noting that her eyes weren't human – they were Mazoku eyes. 

_So she's a Mazoku? Well, that's comforting…_ she thought. "Nice to meet you, Silvira," she said out loud. "Are…you also a servant of Gaav?"

Silvira nodded. "Yes," she replied. "Gorian tells me that you're the daughter of the General-Priest of Zelas Metallium. Is that true?"

Zillas nodded, wondering just why Silvira's eyes went wide at the confirmation. "What?" she asked. "Why is that so surprising?"

Silvira exchanged glances with Gorian. Normally, if a human is born with Mazoku blood in them, whoever the child's father (or mother) is loyal to would automatically become the child's master or mistress, but Zillas was different, somehow…

But still, why does Zelas care about her? She's just one child! Xellos probably has children born of human women all of the world… 

Then it hit her – Zelas wanted Zillas _because_ she was half-human! The human side of her would be able to withstand assaults of positive emotions while the Mazoku side would fuel her strength, speed, and magick! 

_So that's why Gaav wants her, _she thought. _She would indeed make a powerful soldier… But will she remain loyal? That, and she's so young and has so much to learn… _

She came out of her musing in time to catch Zillas' question about the library. "Hmm? Oh, yes, the library. It should be open by now. Do you want to read up on some magick spells?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Zillas replied cheerfully. "Can we?"

Gorian laughed. "Sure, Zillas, sure."

She grinned happily.

*-*-*-*-*

Zillas poured over the various spell books for the rest of the day. She jotted down the incantations to the various spells and showed them to Gorian excitedly. 

"Neat, huh?" she said, showing him the incantation for the Ra-Tilt. He blinked at the scroll – could she master the ultimate anti-evil Shamanistic spell? If she did, then that would prove that her human side was the dominant side. 

And that could prove problematic in the future – she might rebel against Gaav, and then she would have to die…

Gorian shook his head. No use thinking about what might happen in the future, what was important was the present, and teaching Zillas what it meant to be part Mazoku…

Zillas quickly gathered up her scrolls and put the books back on the shelf (Gorian put the books from the higher shelves up – Zillas couldn't reach those ones and she hadn't yet discovered her natural ability to levitate) and turned to Gorian.

"Ready to go?" she asked, grinning. "'Cause I think that guy in the white robe wants us to leave…"

Gorian turned around sharply. "Oh great," he said under his breath. "A Priest of Ceiphied. He probably knows that we're Mazoku – well, that I'm Mazoku."

Zillas tensed – she remembered all too well the uneasy feeling she felt when she was in that shrine with the elder. She might only be part Mazoku, but that would be enough. Unless she dealt with this 'priest' herself…

"Hold these," she said, tossing her scrolls to Gorian and stepping past him. "Hey, you!" 

The priest glanced down at her, and stared in shock at her eyes. His eyes narrowed.

"What is it, monster?" he asked, his hand going into the depths of his robes. He pulled out a small, glowing dagger.

Zillas smirked. "Really!" she said, feigning irritation, "you'd think that a Priest of the mighty Ceiphied would know better than to pull a knife on the daughter of Xellos Metallium!"

Gorian was completely taken aback. What the hell was she doing, trying to get them both killed?! ALL Ceiphied Priests or Priestesses knew who Xellos was! If word got out that he had children… 

The priest was also shocked. _"D-daughter?!"_ he said. "That monster has a child!?"

Zillas faded from sight and reappeared next to the priest. Her hand was clasped around his arm in seconds, the bones of his forearm shattering moments later. She pulled him down painfully (for him, anyway) and looked him in the eye, a darkness in her eyes.

"Run." That said, she tossed him aside with terrible ease, not even glancing back at him when he caused an entire row of bookshelves to fall down in a domino effect. 

Gorian would have found it hilarious…if Zillas' aura weren't so dark…so deadly. 

However, her aura returned to normal moments after the priest got up and ran. She walked to Gorian, picked up her scrolls (he had dropped them in his shock), and looked up at him sweetly.

"Ready to leave?" she asked, smiling sweetly.

Gorian blinked down at her and belatedly wondered just what the hell just happened.

**Author's notes: ^_^_^_^ Comments are welcome! Flames are also welcome, but they have to constructive flames!**


	9. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten – Two years later! Gorian's feelings… 

They spent the next two years travelling from town to town, letting Zillas learn new spells whenever possible and also teaching her about the world in general. By the time she was fifteen, she had mastered the Ra-Tilt and was learning the Dragon Slave – unfortunately she was having…trouble with it. Namely every time she tried to cast it, she ended up blowing Silvira or Gorian twenty feet into the air! Granted that they was fine and, like all Mazoku, enjoyed the pain, but Zillas still apologised numerous times since she felt so bad. 

"Besides," Gorian kept on saying, "the blast isn't that big since you're still learning to control it. The spell doesn't hurt too much."

Zillas always sighed – she personally thought that she'd NEVER master the Dragon Slave spell. However, she refused to give up and continued to study the spell.

*-*-*-*-*

Zillas woke up one night to the sound of Gorian and Silvira talking. She lay perfectly still so that they would not realize that she was awake, and began to listen closely. 

"She's getting stronger," Silvira said. "Although the fact that she can cast the Ra-Tilt without being harmed is truly impressive."

She saw Gorian nod. "Yes, it is, " he said. "It also shows that her human side is the dominant side of her…personality."

"Do you think that it could cause problems?" Silvira asked. 

"Well…I don't know," Gorian replied. "It would be a shame if Lord Gaav had to kill her because she was disloyal."

Silvira looked long and hard at her companion, and asked, "What are you hiding, Gorian?"

Gorian looked at her sharply. "Nothing," he snapped. "Why would I need to hide anything from you?"

Silvira blinked, a knowing smile spreading across her lips. "I get it," she said. "Not that I blame you, she's growing up fast, and is rather attractive…"

Gorian flinched. "W-what are you talking about?" he asked. "She's a child, a fifteen-year-old child!"

Zillas tensed and held her breath – were they talking about her? Did Gorian…care about her? But, it was impossible for Mazoku to truly care about somebody, right? Positive emotions were like poison to them – slowly killing a Mazoku from the inside. From what Gorian had told her, it was a slow and painful way for a Mazoku to die. 

Yet, Gorian had just about admitted that he cared about her, Zillas, the halfling daughter of the most powerful Mazoku under the five Dark Lords. 

She silently teleported away – she needed time alone to think.

*-*-*-*

Silvira and Gorian were nearing a state of panic – Zillas had vanished! 

"Do you think she heard us talking last night?" Silvira asked. 

"What? You mean she might have–" Gorian started, but stopped mid-sentence. "She must have overheard your questions about how I…feel about her. She's probably afraid, nobody besides her mother has ever been a friend to her like we have!"

"And nobody has found her attractive, either," Silvira said, looking at her friend. "She's young, Gorian, and doesn't understand…"

He turned to her, glared at her with such intensity that she flinched. "Don't you think I know that?!" he yelled. "All right! I love her, OK!?! I've loved her since I first saw her! But she's too young, too innocent! I can't spoil her innocence!"

He paused. "My task is to teach her," he said slowly. "After that, Gaav will most likely send me to spy on Deep Sea Dolphin, and I'll probably never see her again…"

Silvira was taken aback by his outburst – she hadn't actually expected him to be so…passionate about it.

"Gorian…" she said. "…You fell in love with a thirteen-year-old?'

_That _ruined the moment – Gorian stared at her in shock and simply fell over, hard, onto the ground. 

"What'd I say??"

Author's notes: Is it possible for a Mazoku to love? Apparently it is… Ah, well… Where is Zillas? Is she OK? I'd tell you, but… Sore wa himitsu desu! [/I]


	10. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven – Xellos! Zillas' Ragna Claw!                               **

Zillas was lost, plain, and simple.

_I shouldn't have teleported away like that_, she thought. _I have no clue as to where I am! _

She had been wandering around for hours, lost in a huge forest that was, undoubtedly, far from where she had been camping. Grumbling many colourful remarks under her breath, Zillas carried on walking in what she hoped was a westward direction. Why west? Simple – they had been travelling that way before Zillas overheard Gorian and Silvira's talk. Granted that she could have pretended that it hadn't happened, but that just wasn't in Zillas' nature, she hated to pretend that something happened when, in harsh reality, it had. 

She was so busy thinking that she didn't notice the presence until she was stopped in her tracks by a figure dressed in black boots, black pants, a white long-sleeve top, white gloves, and a black priest's cape. She blinked and looked up into his face. 

His eyes were closed, but he appeared to be looking straight at her. His hair was purple, like hers, and he had this incredibly stupid (but oddly cute) grin on his face. 

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously. 

He continued to grin at her, holding his black staff in his right hand while he put a finger to his lips with his left hand. 

"That's a secret," he said. "But I know who you are, Zillas Metallium."

She was on the defensive immediately – the only people who knew her name were Silvira and Gorian, not some guy who literally appeared out of nowhere.

"How do you know that name?!" she demanded, suddenly wishing that she had a weapon besides her spells. 

He opened his eyes fully and looked at her.

She shivered as she looked into his elliptical, amethyst eyes. They were so…dark, so evil, that it frightened her.

But they were also her eyes – she knew [I] who [/I] this man was!

"Xellos?!" she growled. "You son of a BITCH!"

She swung a punch at him, but he merely blocked her fist with his staff. 

"Now, now, pumpkin," he remarked, still looking at him with his eyes wide open. "Your Grandmother wants you to come with me."

Zillas snarled. "Like hell I will!" she spat. "Because of you, I'm a fucking half-breed! A MONSTER!"

Xellos smirked, feeding off her anger. He had wanted to meet her for a while, but her 'teacher' had shielded her astral body from him, but now that she had run off…

"Come with daddy, pumpkin," he said. 

Zillas snapped, a spell forming in her mind. Gorian had told her that only the most powerful spells could harm Xellos, so why not create one _now_, and use it on _him? _

 She raised her hands, an aura of power swirling around her as she began to chant.

"Dark Lord of Nightmares, give me your power! Ragna Claws!"

Xellos' eyes widened as triple-bladed claws appeared on each of Zillas' hands – claws created from pure black magick! Before he could even blink, she swung her fists, the dark claws biting into his side, drawing the darkness that was his 'blood'. He stopped levitating and stumbled backwards, clutching his side, a surprised look on his face. 

She just called on L-Sama's power! he thought. I didn't think that it was possible for anybody with Mazoku blood to do that! 

Zillas advanced on him, hatred showing plainly on her face. She growled and put the claws to his throat. 

"Go tell my grandmother that I'll fight her every step of the way," she snarled. "I serve Lord Gaav, not that bitch Zelas!"

Xellos smirked at her. "If that's the way you want it, fine," he said. "Goodbye, pumpkin."

He vanished just as a group of Demon Wolves appeared around her. Zillas snarled and held up her fists, the Ragna Claws glowing darkly. 

"Bring it on," she growled.

*-*-*-*

Later, Zillas just appeared in between Silvira and Gorian, who were worried sick.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully. She blinked when they jumped from shock and promptly fell over. "Whaaaaaaaat?"

**Author's Notes: Yes, people, Zillas can take Xellos on one-on-one if she takes him by surprise. Granted that she probably won't be able to do that again… Hehe. **


	11. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve – "Gorian has a cute butt." Er…yeah… 

"Waaaaaaaaaait," Gorian said. "You fought Xellos…and WON?!"

Zillas shrugged. "Then after that I beat the crap out of a bunch of Demon Wolves," she said. 

Silvira and Gorian looked at each other in confusion. Zillas defeated Xellos – granted that she took him completely by surprise – and then took out 6 Demon Wolves with no effort?! 

_She's…odd,_ Silvira thought, looking at Zillas closely. _She has a lot of hidden power, but she doesn't show it, why?_

"Erm, just HOW did you beat Xellos and those wolves?" Gorian asked. "You haven't mastered any magicks that could even scratch him! Let alone take out 6 Demon Wolves!!"

Zillas sighed and casually cast the Ragna Claws spell again, lifting her hands up so that her companions could see the spell. 

"I came up with this spell about two seconds before I attacked my father," she said casually. "It calls on the power of Chaos…"

"It calls on L-Sama's power?!" Silvira and Gorian cried out in unison, staring at her in complete disbelief. 

Zillas shrugged. "Hey, if a spell works, it works," she remarked. "Xellos seemed surprised, too. Considering that these claws are powerful enough to tear into him with relative ease…"

They both facevaulted – no, wait, Gorian slammed his forehead against a rock and effectively knocked himself out. 

"What?" Zillas asked, banishing the spell casually. "What's so odd about that?"

Silvira got up and stared at her in complete disbelief. "No other Mazoku serving under the Dark Lords, not even other High Mazoku like myself, can harm Xellos with our magicks! Yet you managed to not only harm him, but also forced him to retreat!"

Again, Zillas shrugged. "What's your point?" she asked.

Silvira rolled her eyes. "I give up!" she said, throwing her hands into the air dramatically. "You, young lady, are far stronger than you look!"

Zillas, however, was too busy looking at Gorian to take any more notice of Silvira or her comments. Instead she remarked, quite audibly…

"Gorian has a cute butt."

Silvira fell over, her leg twitching. "I'm glad that Gorian is out cold…"

**Author's notes: I got bored, what can I say? **


	12. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen – Seyruun! Chaos-Dragon Gaav!**

They reached Seyruun two and a half weeks later. Zillas had been to the city before, but she was still awed by its size. Granted that the city's strong aura of White magick made her feel a little uncomfortable – but she still loved the sight of the place. They checked into an inn and then went to walk around the city. 

The reason they were here was not sightseeing, though. They were here to meet with Gaav – for obvious reasons he had wanted to meet Zillas in a place where they could be sure that Zelas' wolves could not attack them openly because of the aura of White magick that surrounded the city. They finally found the tavern that they were looking for – the Blazing Dragon Tavern – and went inside. 

Like all taverns, it was noisy and full of people. Almost everybody in the tavern had an aura of a White Mage around him or her, and they felt distinctly out of place. They felt more at ease when they saw him: Chaos-Dragon Gaav. He was sitting alone at a table, his ridiculously long red hair falling to the floor behind him. He was dressed, as usually, in a brown trench coat, black pants, and black boots. He spotted Zillas and company and smiled, standing up to beckon them over with a wave of his hand. They made their way through the crowd and sat down at the table, and could not help but stare at Gaav. He was tall and somewhat handsome, and he had an air of self-confidence about him that made Zillas feel certain that she wanted to serve him loyally. She wondered if her grandmother had the same air about her. 

Gaav broke the silence. "So you're Xellos' daughter," he said. "You look a lot like him, you know."

Zillas fidgeted in her seat. "I know," she said, and quickly added in, "Lord Gaav."

Gaav looked at her, then at Silvira. "I see you've been rubbing off on her," he said, apparently amused. "Zillas, just call me Gaav, please. At least until we leave this place – I don't want any of these humans trying to fight us."

Silvira chuckled. "They wouldn't stand much of a chance," she smirked. 

Gorian shook his head. "Our powers are diminished here," he snapped. "Even Zillas can feel it, and she's half-human!"

Zillas could indeed feel a slight drain in her powers. Seyruun was a beautiful city, but it wasn't a great place for anybody of Mazoku blood to be – even if they happened to be half-human.

Gaav raised his hand for silence. "Then we should leave as soon as possible," he said. "We'll teleport to the Desert of Death the moment we're out of the city."

Zillas nodded – they weren't going to get an argument from her! Gaav stood up and they left the tavern and walked out of the city. The moment that they were out of range of the city, they surrounded Gaav and he teleported them to his domain – the Desert of Death.

Xellos faded into the area, a sly grin on his face. "So," he said, "my little Pumpkin is working for Gaav? Well, this will prove…interesting."

**Author's notes: Short chapter, ne? At last, Zillas meets Gaav! Enjoying this so far? **


	13. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen – The Desert of Death! Zillas' Trial!                                                          **

The Desert of Death was exactly as its name implied – dead. It was devoid of any form of life, there weren't even any cacti or other desert plants! Zillas looked around, slightly surprised at the state of the desert.

"This is why they call it the Desert of Death," Gorian said. "It is a dead place, nothing save Mazoku can live here."

Zillas glanced at him. "It's so...desolate," she murmured. "How can Gaav live here?"

"All four of the Mazoku Lords live in seclusion with their followers," Gorian replied. "Dynast lives in the Frozen North, Deep Sea Dolphin lives in the depths of the Demon Sea, Hellmaster Phibrizo lives in Hell, and the Greater Beastmaster Zelas lives on Wolfpack Island. Gaav lives here, in the Desert of Death."

Zillas glanced around again, sighing. "I see," she said. "Will I have to stay here, with Gaav?"

"Only until you have finished your training." 

They turned and faced Silvira, who was walking towards them. "Lord Gaav wants Zillas to train, so that she can grow stronger."

Zillas nodded. "When do I begin?" she asked. 

"Now."

Zillas nodded again and followed Silvira to a relatively flat area where Gaav himself stood, sword drawn. He looked at her.

"Silvira tells me that you can call on L-Sama's power," he said. "Show me."

Zillas shrugged and summoned the Ragna Claws, holding them up for Gaav to see. "I just…came up with this spell when Xellos attacked me," she said. "I'm lucky that it's powerful enough to hurt him, else I would have died."

Gaav nodded – then attacked, swinging his sword in a hard arc. Zillas yelped and jumped back, the sharp blade of Gaav's sword passing mere centimetres past Zillas' face. She nodded, knowing that this was merely a test of her skills. She ran at him, then at the last second she dodged to the left, teleporting to his right and driving her foot into his rib cage before flying backwards, landing, banishing the Ragna Claws, and throwing a Dark Fireball at him, willing it to circle the Dark Lord. 

"What's she doing?" Silvira asked Gorian.

"I have no-" Gorian began, but was cut off when the Dark Fireball self-detonated, creating an explosion not unlike that of a Blast Bomb spell. Gaav came running out of the explosion, his clothing singed but otherwise unharmed. Zillas jumped to the side, a blast of Mazoku Power leaving her outstretched hands. Gaav dodged the blast of energy, allowing the sand behind him becoming glass when the energy struck and exploded in that spot. Zillas dodged his sword, but was caught by surprise when he lashed out with his left fist, the blow sending her flying backwards. She was up in mere seconds, her body in the posture of a cross.

_ "Lord of Darkness of the Four Worlds! I call upon you! Grant me all the power you possess!" _

The talismans she was wearing glowed red, and she couldn't help but smirk as she started the incantation to the follow-up spell. 

_"Everlasting flame of blue. Let the power hidden in my soul be called forth here from the infinite! Ra Tilt!"   
  
_

The attack hit Gaav head-on, but he was powerful, and the spell only damaged him slightly. He did not even flinch as the blue-white flames enveloped him and his astral form was attacked. He merely teleported behind Zillas and slammed the handle of his sword over her head.

Darkness enveloped her in seconds.

**Author's notes: Enjoying it? Well? Are ya?!**


End file.
